After winning the preliminary election and advancing to the November ballot, billionaire Josh Kraft’s decision to remove himself from the mayoral race came as a surprise to many voters, especially because he had been adamant about sticking it out. Sitting mayor Michelle Wu received 71.84% of the votes. Kraft received 23.07%.
Massachusetts state law says that if a candidate withdraws from the general election, they can be replaced by the next runner-up. But in the case of Domingos Darosa, it is a moot point. He is the next runner-up after Kraft and received 2,409 preliminary votes, 2.61% of the total. However, to appear on the November ballot, he needed to have received at least 3,000 votes.
With an uncontested mayoral race, there may be lower turnout at the general election.
“There’s already a low ceiling in terms of turnout, in terms of participation, in terms of enthusiasm. So, when you go from a competitive to a non-competitive election, the interest and turnout drops,” said Colin Brown, associate teaching professor of political science at Northeastern University.
Kraft spent millions of his own money campaigning and criticized the policies of his opponent, Wu, who is also a Democrat. Despite this, he failed to find a message that resonated with most voters, other than being a new face for critics of Wu. As the wealthy son of the New England Patriots’ owner, Kraft did not project a relatable image, according to voters. Many Bostonians who spoke to The Scope said his exit from the race will not impact their vote.
Brown said that noncompetitive elections may create a vicious cycle of low voter turnout.
“Places that tend to have lower turnout often also tend to have less competitive elections,” he said.
Voter turnout remains as essential as ever, particularly in contested races like City Council District 7, where the third-place candidate, Mavrick Afonso, is now calling for a recount. After a very competitive race, Afonso lost by a narrow margin of 17 votes. These races can be extremely tight and are a place where every vote really does matter. And while a lot of people aren’t satisfied with national politics, casting a vote on a local level can have immediate and direct effects on the city.
The Scope spoke to many Boston voters over the weekend and few were interested in sharing their perspective. But one voter in Fenway, Chris Abbott-Koch, said showing up to vote is crucial.
“With everything that’s going on with suppressing the vote, I think that it’s important that everybody get out there and vote as much as possible, even if you’re in a district that’s [uncontested],” he said.
